Knitting machine



July 9, 1929.

e. NOBST El AL 1,720,606

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 30, 1927 Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORG NOBST AND ERNST ULBRICHT, OF MITTWEIDA, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO WIL- HELM LEILICH,- OF CHEMNITZ, GERMANY.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed September 30, 1927, Serial No. 223,135, and in Germany July 15, 1926.

cycle by appropriate cam devices and relates' more particularly to knitting machines wherein needle-operating jacks are interposed between some or all of the needles and the needle actuating cams, and comprising means positively controlling the jacks and operative at predetermined times to disengage certain or all of the jacks from their respective needles in order to produce patterns or other effects in the knitted fabric. I

Various devices have heretofore been employed for disengaging the jacks from the needles at the proper time, usually by cam surfaces on the needle bed, which arrangements known to us have been open to serious objection, including the annoyance caused from the accumulation of. dust and dirt in the wide needle slot necessary for accommodating the jacks; the inability ofthe machine to operate at a speed approximately that of ordinary circular machines or to produce more than a very limited number of designs and particularly the impossibility of varying the design from course to course or in the same course; the inadaptability of the mechanism to jacquard control of the jacks; and especially the lack of accuracy, frequent breakage, and need of constant attention due to the rapid wear of the jacks and cooperating parts by reason of the harsh motions and the very small and inadequate bearing surfaces commonly provided.

In accordance With the present invention we provide positive means for engaging and disengaging the jacks from the needles which is applicable to a machine (whether flat or circular and whether the needle bed or the cam carrier be the moving part) having a needle bed of ordinary type except that the slots or needle grooves are cut somewhat deeper than normal; which maybe applied to machines of fine, as well as coarse gage; which permits variations in thepattern from course to course and even in the same course, if desired; which is readily adaptable to jacquard control; and wherein, by the provision of adequate hearing surfaces, rapid wear and cutting of the cylinder or needle bed and breakage of the jacks and associated elements is reduced to a minimum. In arriving at the above result we provide means, to wit cams on the cam carrier ofthe machine for rocking-the jacks independently of their longitudinal movement, whereby to engage and disengage them from the needles, preferably employing cam elements which keep the acks under substantially positive control to avoid accidental engagement or release of the needles. In order to insure both positive retraction and advance of the needles, and to prevent overretraction of the needles, particularly when the needle beds are vertical, we prefer to make the jacks in two parts, preferably articulated to permit outward swing of one part relative to the other, and provide one element of the jack with a needle retracting hook andthe other with a pusher surface of adequate area to insure reliable engagement with the end of theneedle.

Although in its broader aspects the invention is applicable to machines having a single needle bed (flat or cylindrical) we find it particularly advantageous in its application to a machine having a plurality of needle beds and adapted to produce fabrics exhibiting a ribbed effect, a purled effect or both such effects. In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated the invention as embodied in a circular knitting machine having an up- 'per and a lower needle cylinder of the same diameter and arranged in axial alignment and employing double-ended needles which may slide from the groove of one cylinder into an aligned groove of the other cylinder and which are adapted to draw stitches when in either cylinder. Such machines are in general well known, together with their casion means, etc., may be of any known and appropriate type familiar to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a needle jack embodying certain features of our present invention;

Fig. 2 1s a slmilar elevation, illustrating a with our improved jacks;

Fig. 4 is a composlte diagrammatic section through the cam cylinder substantially on the lines AA, B-B and D-D, respectively; and

Figs. 5 and 6' are elevations illustrating various types of fabrics which may be knitted upon the machine herein disclosed.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, we have illustrated a one-piece needle-jack which may be made of a thickness substantially to fill the needle groove and which com rises the head portion a and a tail portion fdisposed at an oblique angle to each other and having substantially straight inner edges a" and f meeting at the point 9, all of said parts being in the same plane. The part a is'provided with the needle retracting hook 1), below which is a recess for the reception of the needle hook, the lower wall of the recess constituting a pusher element 0 for engagement with the outer end surface of the needle hook. The outer edge of this jack is furnished with an actuating butt 7)., preferably dlsposed at a point opposite the point g.

' When a acl: of this type is employed it may i or disengaged therefrom, this 1' ackpresents an pusher element 8.

-be caused to rock about the point 9 to move its hook 1) into and out of engagement with the needle, and whether engaging the needle elongate bearing surface a or f, respectively, for engagement with the bottom of the cylinder groove and does not tend to cutinto the cylinder or itself to wear rapidly;

While we may, under some circumstances, particularly in coarse gage machines, employ a jack such as shown in Fig. 1, we prefer to employ the composite jack illustrated in Fig. 2. The jack shown in Fig. 2 has a retracting element substantially similar to the jack shown in Fig. 1, comprising the parts a and f, the hook I), and the butt h, the parts a and f making an obtuse angle with each other and having their inner straight edges lying in a direction to meet substantially at the point g. In this instance we provide a recess or socket at the point i closely adjacent to the point 9. With this retracting jack element we combine a separate needle advancing or This advancing element is a substantially straight bar having a butt 1) which loosely engages the socket i in the retracting element of the jack, thus articulating the retracting and advancing members of the jack. The advancing element 8 has a pusher surface s at its end of adequate width to insure proper engagement with the end of the needle, and which is normally spaced from the hooks b of the retractor element so as to furnish. the recess .0 of sufiicient size to receive the needle hook. The advancer or pusher element 8 is provided with a substantially straight inner surface or edge a which engages the bottom of the needle groove. The needle groove may be of usual type having its inner wall substantially straight, but should be of sufiicient depth to accommodate the composite acks comprising the retracting and advancing elements above described.-

In Fig. 3 we have illustrated our improved needle actuatingjack as applied to a knitting machine of circular type having the lowrcylinderC and .the upper cylinder C which are of substantially the same diameter and arranged in axial alignment and suitably spaced at their adjacent ends to provide for the passage of the knitted web. cam cylinder C cooperates with the needles and needle jacks carried by the needle cylinders.

As the machine here illustrated is of that type in which the cam cylinders rotate, while the needle cylinders remain relatively stationary,

it is possible to employ a single cam cylinder furnished with one or more openings at the desired point or points for admission of any usual yarn feed elements, etc., but, if desired, independent cam cylinders may be provided for cooperation with the upper and lower needle cylinders, respectively.

.The needle grooves in the cylinders C and C are in alignment and each pair of aligned grooves in the two cylinders may be considered as constituting upper and lower portions of a single groove. A needle 6 is arranged to slide in each needle groove and to be transferred from the lower portion of the groove (in the cylinder C) to the upper portion of the groove (in the cylinder C and vice versa. The needles here shown are latch needles and each needle is furnished with a head or hook at each end. Each groove of the lower cylinder C and each groove of the upper cylinder C is preferably provided with a jack a f of the type, shown in 2. While, under ordinary circumstances, a double-ended needle is provided for each composite needle groove and a ack is disposed in each groove of each needle cylinder, it is obviously within the scope of the invention to omit needles or jacks from or change to other well-known forms of butts of the jacks to be raised out of their usual path to an inoperative position, and for selectively raising the jacks to this upper or idle position we provide the adjustable switch cam c which, under normal circumstances, is aligned with the bottom of the cam groove is as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, but which may be raised to the inclined position indicated in dotted lines in the same figure. When the cam e is in its normal position, the butts 71 of the upper series of jacks move along over the top of this cam 0 without actuation thereby and are not retracted until they engage the advancing slope of cam 3 forming the lower edge of the wider part of groove is ahead of cam T, Fig. 4.

The inner faces of the cam rings 1 and 2 which define the grooves k and 3 and 4, which define groove is are so shaped as to rock the jacks. or at least the retracting portions of the jacks, in and out, toward and from the I needle cylinders. Thus, throughout the main portion of the circumference of the cam cylinder, (Fig. 4, section D) the cam element 1 above the groove k and the cam element 3 below the groove A. have inclined or beveled faces as also indicated at the left side of Fig. 3, which permit the hook ends of the jacks to swing outwardly away from the needle cylinders. At the same portions of the cam cylinder, the cam elements 2 and 4, which en gage the tails of the jacks, are of substantially rectangular cross section in any radial plane, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 3, so as positively to maintain the jacks rocked on their points 9 into inoperative position, that is to say, with their hook ends outwardly away from the needles. However, at about the radial plane indicated by the line A (Fig. 4) the'element 1 in the lower part of the cam cylinder merges into a portion 1 which is substantially rectangular, (Fig. 4 section A) while the element 2 merges into a portion 2" which is beveled or inclined. As a jack of the lower series passes the point A the cam elements 1*" and 2 swing the jack so that its head moves radially inward into position to engage the hooks of a needle properly positioned to receive it.

On the other hand the cam element 30f the upper portion of the cam cylinder at substan tially the plane B ahead of plane A merges into a part 3* of rectangular section, (Fig. 4, section B) while the cam element 4 at the same plane B merges into a part 4 of beveled or inclined section. Thus, as the jacks of the upper series pass the plane B, their heads or hook portions begin to swing inwardly into position to engage the hook of a needle.

Since the plane B is in advance of the point A in the direction of rotation of the cam cylinder so that under ordinary circumstances the jacks of the upper series are swung into operative position before those of the lower series and needles engaged by them are moved by the upper jack cams T.

It may also be noted that the cam groove is furnished with a retracting portion If just to the left, as shown in Fig. 4, of the plane A, and that the riser cam slope of cam 3 is disposed immediately to the left of the point at which the jacks of the upper series have been swung into full engagement with the needle hooks.

For the production of the class of work now to be described, suitable pattern mechanism of usual and well-known type isprovided which moves the cam v upwardly into the dotted line position during one rotation of the cam cylinder and then down into the full line posit-ion during the subsequent rotation but it is to be understood that this cam may be moved by hand if desired, and

that it may be moved in accordance with any 1 needles are in a central or neutral position in which they extend across the gap between the cylinders C and C with their previously formed loops hanging upon their shanks, and that all of the needle'actuating jacks are out of engagement with theneedles, (see left side of- Fig. 3), rotation of the cam cylinder causes the cam elements 3 and 4 to swing the jacks of the upper series into position to engage the upper needle hooks before the lower series of jacks are thus moved. The butts of the upper jacks immediately thereafter engagethe slope, of cam 3, thus moving the needles up and out of the grasp of the lower jacks as the latter are subsequently ,swung inward by the action of the elements 1 and 2* at and beyond plane A. Therefore, the lower series of jacks move downwardly free of the needles, and at the same time the upper series of jacks, engaging the needles, are actuated by the knitting cam T to draw a new' series of loops. After passing the knitting cam T the pusher elements of the upper jacks move the needles back to the central or neutral positioif and all of the jacks, in both the upper and lower series, are immediately swung outwardly by engagement with the cam elements-3, 4; 1 and 2, respectively. Upon the next rotation of the cam cylinder the cam 'v is raised to the dotted inwardly by the elements 3 and 4. As the .jacks of the lower series are swung inwardly by the cam elements 1* and 2", they find the needles in position to be engaged by their hooks and these latter jacks immediately engage the slope'k and are drawn safely down and into position to engage knitting cams T and thereby to form a series of loops over the verge of the lower cylinder.

By a continuation of the above double cycle, purl fabrics of any desired extent may be knitted while it is obvious that by allowing the cam o to remain continuously either in its up or down position, plain fabric of any desired number of courses may; be knitted having its loops all drawn to one face or to the other, depending upon the cylinder which, for the time being, is active.

It is obvious that by raising and lowering the cam 'v or otherwise determining the vertical position of jacks a f ahead of plane B at regular intervals during the formation of a single course, a certain definite number of needles will knit in one cylinder and another group will knit in the other cylinder, thus producing fabrics having ribbed stripes of any desired width, as shown in Fig. 5. Moreover, by a combination of the above operations, fabric having both horizontal and vertical stripes may be produced, thus giving a checked effect as indicated, for example, in Fig. 6, where courses of plain knitting are indicated at 1 and at 11 and 12, alternating with courses (2 to 10, inclusive) 'of fabric containing vertical rib stripes.

Preferably, in order to prevent over-retraction of the needles of the lower series,

we provide any usual guard z for pusher jacks 8 below the knitting cam T, Figs. 3 and 4.

The provision of the wide groove in in the upper part of the cam cylinder permits the 'acks to be moved upwardly to idle position y the cam 'v, as above described, and it further-perinits lifting of any of these jacks by jacquard mechanism of any desired type, adapted, for example, to move individual jacks to idle upper position while leaving other jacks. in active lower position. For this purpose some or all of the jacks may be provided with openings '11) for the reception qf the jacquard cords. It is thus possible to produce varied ornamental efi'ects through the employment of these jacks without adding greatly to the complexity of the mechanism and without undue cost'of production or decrease in speed, it being noted that the m'echanism here disclosed is capable of operation at substantially the same speed as a plain knitting machine. 7

During all of the .movemen above described, the jacks bear over a long and substantially straight surface against the inner wallof the nee le groove; the rocking of the jack is occasioned by the engagets of the jacks ment of broad cam faces with extended surfaces of the jack .so that there is little tendency to wear and out either the jack or the cam element; the needle grooves are of normal width so that there is no abnormal tendency for dirt and dust to accumulate therein; the machine may be made-of fine gage since the jacks occupy no more circumferential width than the needles, and the needle-actuating jacks are applicable to machines primarily intended for producing work of. almost any type. In our copending applications Serial Nos. 249,631 and 249,628, we have explained how a knitting machine of these capabilities may be utilized for heel and toe fashioning with the aid of jacquard control.

- circumstances, be employed, such jack being somewhat simpler and c caper to make, and

' functioning in a very acceptable manner un der most conditions of use.

We claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a needle bed and a cam carrier, a need e actuating jack arranged to slide longitudinally in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a head portion and a tail portion disosed at an, angle to one another, the jack eing adapted to rock about the point of union of "its head and tail portions, cam means on the cam carrier for movin the head of the jack toward and from n e engaging position, said cain means having parts acting on the same faceof the jack cooperating positively with said head and tail portions to control the position of the jack in the intervals between such movements. L 2. In a knitting machinehaving a grooved needle bed and a cam carrier, a needle actuating jack arranged to slide longitudinally in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a member having angularly disposed elements with straight edges lying in a direction to converge at a point about which said member may rock as an axis, and positioning means constantly engaging the exterior face of said jack at opposite sides of said point, said positioning means including ooved cams for rocking the jack whereby to engage ing aneedle advancing member,a needle retracting member fulcrumed to rock relatively 'rier, a needle actuating jack sliding in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a needle advancing member, a needle retracting member having a recess in its inner edge, a butt on the advancing member engaging said recess, a butt on the outer edge of the retracting member, cam means on the cam carrier engaging the butt on the retracting memher for moving said member longitudinally in the needle groove, and means on the cam carrier engageable with the outer edge of the retracting member at opposite sides of said butt for positioning said retracting member at all times, said means comprising cams for moving the retracting member relatively to the advancing member.

5. In a circular knitting machine having a grooved needle bed and a relatively movable cam carrier, a needle actuating jack sliding in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a needle advancing member, a needle retracting member articulated to the outer edge of the advancing member to rock toward and from the latter, a cam on the cam carrier for moving the entire jack longitudinally of the needle groove, and means constantly engaging said retracting member including cams spaced longitudinally of the needle grooves and engageable with said retracting member at opposite sides respectively of its point of articulation for rocking the retracting member toward and from needle engagmg posltion.

6. In a circular knitting machine having a grooved needle bed and a relatively movable cam carrier, a needle driving jack sliding longitudinally in a groove of the needle bed, said jack having an element engageable with a needle for retracting the needle inits groove, means for advancing and retracting the jack longitudinally of the groove, and cam means operative in a fixed circumferential position in relation to said advancing and retracting cams independently of the longitudinal position of the jack and while the latter is fully advanced to act in the direction of a radius of the machine for moving the ack into needle engaging position.

7. In a circular knitting machine of the class described having a grooved needle bed and a relatively movable cam carrier, a needle actuating jack sliding longitudinally in a groove of the needle bed, said jack having a substantially straight inner edge engaging the bottom of the needle groove and comprising an element engageable with a needle for retracting the needle in its groove and an element for advancing the needle in its groove, :1 knitting'cam for moving the ack longitudi nally of its groove, and cam means on the cam carrier for moving the retracting element of the jack into needle engaging position as it approaches the knitting cam and out of needle engaging position after it leaves the knitting cam, and for positively positioning it in the intervals between successive engagements by the knitting cam.

8. In a knitting machine comprising two grooved needle beds having their respective grooves in alignment, double ended needles adapted to slide from one bed into the other, a cam carrier, a needle driving jack in each groove of each bed, each jack having a part engageable with a needle for imparting movement thereto, knitting cams on the cam carrier for advancing and retract-ing the jacks longitudinally in the needle grooves, and cam means on the cam carrier engaging with the outer edges of the jacks at all times whereby positively to position the jacks and adapted to hold the jacks out of engagement with their needles in the intervals between successive operations of thejacks by the knitting cams.

9. In a circular knitting machine of the class described having a grooved needle bed and a relatively movable cam carrier, a needle actuating jack sliding in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a needle advancing member having a substantially straight surface engaging the bottom of the needle groove and a needle retracting member articulated to the advancing member and adapted to swing toward and from the bottom wall of the needle groove, and a pair of rings on the cam carrier, said rings having inner circumferential surfaces engageable with the edge of the needle retracting member at opposite sides respectively of its point of articulation, the inner surfaces of said rings having cylindrical and conical portions, a conical portion of one ring cooperating with a cylindrical portion of the other to determine theposition of the ack.

10. In a circular knitting machine of the class described having a grooved needle bed and a cam carrier, a needle actuating ack arranged to slide longitudinally in a groove of the needle bed, said jack comprising a part engageable with a needle for imparting movement of the jack thereto, a knittin cam for moving the jack longitudinally of t e groove to actuate its needle for knitting, controlling cam means acting inde endently of the longitudinal movement of the jack in its groove to bring said part of the jack into engagement with the needle, and movable means adapted to be moved from time to time to move the jack out of range of effective operation of said controlling cam means before the jack engages the knitting cam. I

11. In a circular knitting machine of the class described comprising two needle beds having their respective grooves disposed in I alignmentfdouble ended needles adapted to slide from grooves of one bed into the corresponding grooves of the other, a cam carrier, a needle actuating jack disposed .in each groove of each needle bed in alignment with theneedles therein, knitting cams on the cam carrier adapted to engage the jacks and thereby to advance and retract all of the jacks during each cycle of operation of the machine, and controlling cams on the cam carrier for moving all of the jacks into needle engaging position as the jacks approach the knitting cams, the controlling cams being arranged to actuate the jacks in one needle'bed prior to those in the other.

12. In a knitting'machine comprising two grooved needle beds having their respective grooves disposed in alignment, double ended needles adapted to slide from grooves of one bed into the corresponding grooves of the other, a cam carrier, a series of needle actuat ing jacks disposed in the grooves of each needle bed in alignment with the needles therein, knitting cams on the cam carrier engageable with the jacks thereby to advance and retract the jacks during each cycle of operation of the machine, means normally holding all of the jacks except those in the vicinity of the knitting cams out of engagement with the needles, means on the cam carrier for moving the jacks into engagement with the needles as the knitting cams and jacks approach each other, and movable means adj ust-' able to a position such as to retract jacks in one needle bed before they engage their needles.

-' 13. In a knitting machine comprising two grooved needle beds having their respective grooves disposed in alignment, double ended needles adapted to "slide from grooves of one .bed into the corresponding grooves of the other, a cam carrier, a series of needle actuating jacks disposed in the grooves of each needle bed and in alignment with the needles therein, knitting and other cams on the carrier for advalicing and retracting the jacks during each cycle of operation of the machine, said cams being arranged to retract the jacks in one bed prior to those in the other, means on the cam carrier adapted to cause the jacks in the said bed to move to needle engaging position before the jacks in the other bed are moved to such position, and means for retracting jacks of said bed before they-have engaged any needle.

.14. In a circular independent needle knitting machine of the class described having upper and lower axially aligned rotary needle cylinders and relatively stationary knitting cams, double ended needles adapted to slide from a groove of one cylinder into the corresponding groove of the other cylinder, a series of needle actuating acks in the grooves of the upper and lower cylinders, said acks having needle engaging parts and butts for cooperation with the knitting cams, means holding both series of jacks out of engagement with the needles except adjacent to the stitch forming point, cam elements, fixedrelatively to the knitting cams, for moving the ing grooves of the other, a cam carrier, a

series of needle actuating jacks disposed in the grooves of each needle bed in alignment with the needles therein, knitting cams on the cam carrier for advancing and retracting all of the acks during each cycle of the machine, said knitting cams normally retracting the iacks in the upper bed prior to those in the lower bed, means for moving the jacks into and out of engagement with the needles, said latter means moving the jacks in the upper bed into needle engaging position prior to their retraction by the knitting cams, and means including an adjustable cam on the cam carrier adapted to retract the jacks in, the upper bed before they have moved to needle engaging position. i

16. In a circular independent needle knitting machine having upper and lower axially aligned rotary needle cylinders and-relatively stationary knitting cams, double ended needles adapted to slide from the grooves of one cylinder into the corresponding grooves of the other cylinder, a series of needle actuating jacks in the grooves of the upper and lower cylinders, said jacks having needle engaging parts and butts'for cooperation with the knitting cams, and means including two pairs of spaced circumferentially extending In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this sppcification this 25th day of August, 1927.

GEORG NOBST. ERNST ULBRICHT. 

